JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Description of the BH lexeme אֶל: A Cognitive Approach

Lee, Yo-Seob (2016-03)

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.

Thesis

ENGLISH SUMMARY: In this investigation, I aimed to account for the semantic potential of the Biblical Hebrew (BH) preposition אֶל as well as for that of other grammatical constructions associated with the lexical item in Genesis and Jeremiah. Research in Cognitive Linguistics (e.g. prototype theory, categorisation, and conceptualisation) has provided insight into ways in which natural language could be investigated in a more justified way. Tyler and Evans (2003), in particular, provide a model called the ‖principled polysemy approach‖, through which the present study laid the groundwork for identifying the primary meaning of the lexical item. This investigation hypothesised that the preposition is highly polysemous and that the range of its semantic potential must be mapped by means of various cognitive mechanisms.
Within the CL framework, my research was conducted by investigating all instances of אֶל
found in Genesis and Jeremiah. An empirical analysis of the prepositional constructions shed light on the ways in which the preposition is related to different event schemas. In order to describe the semantics of the preposition in finer detail, this study established the proto-scene of אֶל , that is, Orientation. The present study determined that the notion of Orientation gives rise to other distinct categories of the preposition, namely, Literal Goal (to), Movement into Containment (into), Addressee, Transference (or Recipient), Focus of Perception, End-point Focus, Direction (towards), Hostility (against), and Area (about/of). Among these senses, the Literal Goal sense was identified as prototypical. The semantic network proposed in this study showed how these senses are related.
While the emphasis of the present study was on the meaning of the preposition, it also took into consideration instances interchangeable with the near synonyms of ףַל . Senses such as End-point Focus, Hostility, and Area were recognised as the most typical categories where אֶל
and ףַל are interchangeable.